The Big Chill

1983

Action / Comedy / Drama

Synopsis

A seminal Thirty-Something movie in which a group of old college friends who are now all grown up and hardened by the big wide world come together for the funeral of Alex, a barely glimpsed corpse, who was at one time the brightest and the best of them, and yet who never managed to achieve half as much as any of the others. The friends use the occasion to reacquaint themselves with each other and to speculate as to what happened to their idealism which had been abundant when they were younger.

A seminal Thirty-Something movie in which a group of old college friends who are now all grown up and hardened by the big wide world come together for the funeral of Alex, a barely glimpsed corpse, who was at one time the brightest and the best of them, and yet who never managed to achieve half as much as any of the others. The friends use the occasion to reacquaint themselves with each other and to speculate as to what happened to their idealism which had been abundant when they were younger.

Tech specs

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by bjacob6 / 10

Well made but meandering

I agree with what Roger Ebert has written about this movie: something in the style of "it knows all the moves but has no payoff and it doesn't go anywhere". It's interesting as a portrait of (very) early middle age but eventually you're left with a question: "so what?".

There are also some minor inconsistencies which are each very forgivable but all together contribute to the disconnect I feel towards this movie: it's clearly set in the 80s but the characters are supposed to have a past rooted in the 60s counterculture, and yet they seem so relatively young. And yet they have turned that page pretty swiftly, and made it big, while continuing from time to time to utter oddly naive considerations.
There's a lot of music in the film, diegetic and not. Sometimes we get whole songs while the characters do stuff in the background, and it seems a bit of a narrative copt-out.

For the positives: it's very well acted and contains several genuinely funny moments. But I struggle to see what's supposed to be "seminal" about it. There's another film on a very similar theme, "Le déclin de l'empire americain" -- which feels infinitely more real and poignant than this one.

Reviewed by novagirl117 / 10

great cast, realistic!

Definitely both heartwarming and sad at the same time. I enjoyed the natural/realistic feel of the group hanging out and the soundtrack is very well done!

Reviewed by hollywood_jack10 / 10

What a Cast

One of the best ensemble casts ever gathered together. I love everything about this movie. Great cast, great soundtrack, great script. My first exposure to Lawrence Kasdan was big shocker as a screenwriter for Star Wars and Indiana Jones movies. But barring a couple films here and there I really got to appreciate Kasdan as a filmmaker on his own merits. And this is where it started for me. With a bunch of friends mourning a loss and pining for the past, while listening to the best music ever recorded.